Veal Done Six Ways
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Veal Done Six Ways

By November 16, 2015

This is a tour de force with veal: sausage, shanks, grilled tenderloin, sweetbreads and kidneys, and medallions. To simplify for home cooking -- in the absence of a kitchen staff of friends and relatives -- make it “Veal Three Ways,” or “Veal Four Ways.” The sausage is prepared at least 2 days in advance and pan-fried just before serving.

Ingredients

Instructions

To prepare the sausage: Combine the veal and fatback. Add salt, crushed peppercorns, and freshly ground pepper. Saute the chopped onion, fennel, and garlic in 1/2 tablespoon clarified butter until the onions are translucent. Remove the onion mixture from the heat; drain and cool. Pour the bourbon over the veal and fatback, then add the cooled onion mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days.

Put the mixture into casings and form into 12 sausage links. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. When the water is simmering, add the sausages and poach 10 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness, until the meat in the center of the sausages is completely cooked. Let cool; the sausages can be made to this point and refrigerated overnight. They will be pan-fried before serving.

To prepare the shanks: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat an ovenproof saute pan. Add the clarified butter and oil. When they are hot, salt the shanks and put them in the pan to brown. Add the chopped onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and tomato paste (if using). Add the herbs. When the meat is brown on both sides, remove from pan and reserve in a warm place.

Cook the vegetables for another minute, then add the stocks. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced by one-third in volume. Put the shanks back into the pan and add the chopped tomato and ginger. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the shanks and roast until the meat is tender, about 35 minutes. Remove the shanks from the roasting pan and reserve in a warm place, covered. Reduce the roasting juices to 2 cups. Add the fresh basil. Puree all the vegetables and herbs with the juices in a food mill. Reduce again if necessary. This sauce may be enriched with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter if desired. Reserve; keep warm.

To prepare the grilled tenderloin: Season the tenderloin pieces with salt and pepper. Combine the olive oil with the remaining ingredients to make an herb oil. Coat the tenderloins with the herb oil and grill about 10 minutes, to medium-rare or medium according to prepference. Reserve; keep warm.

To prepare the sweetbreads: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Season the sweetbreads with salt and pepper. Lightly brown sweetbreads in butter and oil in an ovenproof saute pan. Add shallots and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cucumber and chicken stock. Cover and put in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove and reserve; keep warm.

To prepare the kidneys: Cut kidneys to portion for saute. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat until the oil ripples; reduce heat to medium-high. Add the kidneys, garlic, and shallots. Saute the kidneys to medium-rare in butter and olive oil, tossing gently. Drain and reserve; keep warm.

To prepare the medallions: Season the medallions on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick saute pan or skillet over high heat. Add the veal medallions and brown on both sides until just lightly pink in the center, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan.

To finish the sausage: Heat the clarified butter in a saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the sausage links until browned. Remove from heat.

To serve: Put a portion of each of the six veals on each heated serving plate. Add some of the braising liquid from the sweetbread to the veal shank sauce. Ladle the sauce over all the veal.

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